Defense has been a massive weakness for the New York Knicks all season, but since New Year’s Eve, it is the worst it’s ever been. Their loss against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday was the biggest indication of that.
The Knicks’ defense continues to be brutal
New York had an early 17-point lead over the Warriors, despite not having Jalen Brunson due to an ankle injury. However, they played lackluster defense that allowed the Warriors to quickly claw back and grab the lead before halftime.
The Knicks would struggle to keep up from there on out, as the Warriors extended their lead to double-digits without it really being threatened. The outcome was the Knicks taking their seventh loss in their last nine games, as they have completely hit a wall and can’t get around it.
Defensively, the Knicks have been one of the worst teams in that department since the calendar flipped to 2026. Over the last nine games, only the Utah Jazz have a worse defensive rating, and the Knicks have the fourth-worst net rating in that same span.
The Knicks are struggling all-around
Therefore, things aren’t clicking on either end for New York, and it’s becoming a seriously concerning trend. Teams go through rough patches every season, but this one has exposed a lot of the flaws that were raised as concerns even early on in the season.
This current group might not have the capability to fully fix itself, and it may require a roster shakeup of sorts to get them back on track. They need more physicality and more imposing defenders, as they lack that significantly right now.
The Knicks badly need a bounce back win, and they’ll have a chance to do that on Saturday when they take on the Phoenix Suns at home. The hope is that they improve their play to get themselves back on track and out of this slide.